Monthly Archives: November 2010

Samsung Fascinate Review

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I was fortunate enough to get my hands on the Samsung Fascinate and had a few weeks to play around with this beautiful phone. Does the phone live up to the hype, or does it falter? Check out my thoughts below.

Hardware:

The first thing I noticed about the phone was how stunning it was visually. Make no mistake about it, this phone has a beautiful form factor. It’s large and sleek with chrome trim around its borders. I like the touch buttons rather than physical buttons which i feel are a follow-through with the slick design. The phone is quite light in the hand. I definitely expected the phone to be a bit heavier, but was pleasantly surprised with its heaviness – or lack thereof. It weighs around 4.5 ounces compared to the iPhone’s 4.8 ounces.  I had to take a double-take at the specs because the Fascinate seems to be a lot lighter than the iPhone. Seriously, a few times I felt like the Fascinate would fly out of my hand if I made too many sudden movements! I think the weight might have been spread out over the wider surface area of the Fascinate. The micro USB port and 3.5 mm headphone jack are located at the top of the phone, while the power button/lock button is located on the right side of the phone. The volume rocker is on the left side. Sadly, no dedicated camera button in site. The display is a 4.0 inch WVGA capacitive touch screen display. It has a 5.0 megapixel camera with 4x digital zoom. It also has a 1Ghz processor which makes things nice and speedy.

Software:

It’s running android 2.1 which is not the latest iteration of android,which would be android 2.2, but I suspect an ota update isn’t too far away. Its a lot more mature than android 1.6 of course with a slew of new functions, but with Google’s break-neck pace of providing updates, 2.1 is definitely getting old fast if only in name. Also, Samsung has obviously added their flavoring to the OS which also slows down the updates because it takes time to re-skin once they come out.

Likes:

I love the form factor. Its slim so it doesn’t quite put the bulge in your pocket that other 4.0 inch and larger phones would have. Its also so light which for some people may be a problem, but for me I find to be a plus. I also like the text to speech functionality, even though, I think it still has some improvements that could be made. Its still not as accurate as I would like, but i still love it. I also love the interactive backgrounds. You can also download a bunch from the application store. Also, the processor speed really makes you feel like your using a quality product. You rarely have to wait for anything. Swype movement is always smooth and snappy. I also like the Buddies Now Widget from Samsung. It’s a quick way to flick through your most used buddies, and it takes their images from your Google contacts. I also love the 3G Mobile Hotspot app, but that’s because Verizon supports that. Many carriers would cut that functionality out  all together, but I’m glad its here on the Fascinate. Call Quality is quite good as well with both myself and the caller on the other end surprised at the call clarity. Lastly, the lock-screen has lots of great information like time and date. You have to drag a puzzle piece to the open spot in order to unlock the phone, but what’s clever is that if you have when you have a missed call or new email, that new piece of information gets its own puzzle section. You can then drag that puzzle section to the open spot and go directly to the intended application.

Dislikes:

Earlier I was talking about how light the phone was, part of the reason may be because of the plastic back cover. I didn’t like the feel of the back cover as I would rather the back cover be metal. It’s definitely a small thing, and quite subjective, however, the plastic feel takes away from the mature feel of the phone. I also didn’t like the lack of a physical camera button. The camera controls are pretty extensive and the shutter speed is decent for a phone so a two stage button I feel is in order.

When it comes to contacts – Android automatically syncs with your contacts and if your like me, you may have a ton of contacts that you don’t necessarily use. So your contact list will be huge – so you will have to do a lot of fine tuning to do. That’s where the buddies now app comes in, but it can still be annoying to have so many contacts in your contact list.

Wrap up:

Overall, I loved the phone. It has such a visually stunning presence which can totally be a conversation piece in a social atmosphere. Its light in the hand, and the 1Ghz processor is not for show. Camera, is OK but nothing to write home about. Call quality is great and a great sign of a well put together phone. Android 2.1 is great, but 2.2 it is not. Definitely not a deal-breaker, but if I bought the phone, I would definitely be looking out for the updates. All-in-all , totally worth it for looks and functionality in my opinion. It’s shortcomings are easily overshadowed by the areas it excels in. Do you have the phone? Let us know your thoughts below!

check www.samsung.com for more info and gadgets

NBA 2K11 Review

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So I’ve been playing NBA 2K11 on the old Xbox 360 and to be honest with you, the game has lots of surprises. The predominant theme of the game centers around Michael Jordan mostly – and his career over the years. For me personally, this was the main reason to check the game out. It’s been so long since there was a true Jordan presence in any basketball game and to finally get one worth mentioning was definitely worth the 60 bucks. That’s not to say it was a perfect game however. But first lets take a look at the things it does well.

Here are some things that I love.

Signature Hightlights

After your game you can take a look at the highlights of all the key players of the game by choice. It does so stylistically as well, and it really is a pleasure to see you dishing it out on opponents.

Game Reel

This is a collouge of the different highlights of the game.

Press Book

I thought this was a cool addition. It takes snapshots of the game as well so you see key plays from a photojournalist’s point of view. Very similar to what you would see at NBA.com or ESPN.com when looking through pictures of a past game.

“My Jordans”

The game actually has you collecting Air Jordans throughout your career! Different Jordan’s give your player’s different abilities. There are 40 in all to collect.

Living Roster

To me, one of the coolest aspects of the game. The living roster is just what it sounds like. Players and league stats are updated in almost real-time. I’m playing a season with the Knicks right now (hapless Knick fan – what can I say?) and the interface is giving me live info on what has transpired around the league. Injuries, trade rumors, scores…its all there.

Jordan Challenges

In my opinion, the second coolest aspect of the game. You get to relive all the Jordan great moments like “the Shrug”,the 1991 NBA Finals, 69 points against the Cavaliers, and more. The game actually starts you off in Jordan’s shoes. If you are not used to the game – go ahead and exit and practice a little bit before you start playing in Jordan mode ’cause there is a lot to learn.

How it Comes Together

Why do I think the Living Roster is the coolest aspect of the game? Well its not new but it works really well this time because of the juxtaposition between the new teams and the old teams. You are solidly placed in the “here and now” because of the reference point of the old heads. The game never really feels stagnant and you aren’t stuck with buyers remorse because you just bought the game and someone got traded and now your game is out of date. I just played the Wizards and Gilbert Arenas was in the line-up. Not only that, but it also tells you about up coming games in much the same way you would see them broadcast on television.

Moving on to game-play, controlling your player is pretty easy and intuitive. You can also try your own skills with the “shot stick” (the right stick on the 360 controller). You can control how your player shoots based on your own preferences. If you get good at this – it definitely pays dividends. Everything is pretty much what you would expect up to a point. However, the more complex moves require a bit more finesse. Ball handling becomes a bit more complicated when trying to step in and do a turn move to lay-up or some other similar move. It’s not impossible, but I wonder what the percentage of pulling that move off every time you wanted would be.  However, the move transitions were great, and I definitely got excited every time I pulled something off.

Each players’ real-time stats definitely meant something. I definitely felt it when a team was doing well, or doing poorly. This can be frustrating because a team that you feel you could normally beat all of a sudden becomes a challenge because they are on a real-life run. However, this is not a negative aspect because it ads to the overall realness of the game.

I also enjoyed the customization elements of the game. You can change shoe types and colors as well as appearances. I left most of it alone so that I would keep everyone’s appearances as close to their real-life counterparts as possible. However, the possibility is there.

You can also play different modes like blacktop pickup games, dunk contests, or three point shootouts. You can also team up with your friends online and start or join a “crew.” Announcer speech has been improved once again. They are generally interesting and at times I wonder if they are being updated in real time as well! The crowds have been re-worked so that they don’t look like the same 1 person duplicated 1,000 times. This time its the same 10 people duplicated 100 times each. Its not huge but its something. Plus the noise swells and decreases just like a real game depending on who is winning.

What I Didn’t Like

In an effort to make movement more lifelike, I feel like the designers went a little overboard with the player’s physics when it came to momentum. When you reach, be careful because you may end up near the half-court line for simply trying to swipe the ball. Of course that’s an exaggeration, but you get the point. Also, it passing is inaccurate, and turnovers can get ridiculous. Some people will say you need to protect the ball more, but it can really get frustrating. A lot of the game is spent either stealing the ball or getting it stolen simply because passing is so inaccurate. Some reprieve is that you generally won’t find yourself passing it to a player who is out of bounds. I am so glad they fixed that issue, or play could have been unbearable.

I also wasn’t immediately wowed by the graphics this time. Not saying graphics are atrocious but they I felt like no huge strides were made between 2K10 and 2K11 in terms of realistic facial expressions and jersey movements. There are some weird moments where your jersey is shaking all over the place while the player is standing still or when your clothes and body are indistinguishable. However, these issues are few and far in between and certainly don’t detract too much from what does make this game so awesome.

Wrap-up

A solid game and must-have for a Jordan admirer. The Jordan presence alone makes it worth it. The other stuff is bonus! Real-time stats and as much customization as you can stand and there really isn’t too much to shake a finger at with this game. Transition between game and real-life games are almost seamless. Playing this game makes you more interested in real games and real games makes you interested in playing the game. If that was the intention, well played sirs…well played.

Top 5 Annoying Traits Men Have

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I’ve asked some friends about the annoying traits that men have, and have come up with this completely random list. Ofcourse, none of these were my traits since I am so manly – I have transcended manliness and thus have shed these traits behind in my former hairy, smelly, shell – much like Cicadas in the summer. However, for you mortals, I have compiled this list, complete with excuses.

5-whistling and or hollering at women as they walk by

Ok, so yeah – this one is kinda dumb. Fellas, she is no more likely to respond positively with a yell than a hello if she is not into you. Stop messing it up for the next guy by acting like a tool. However, ladies, has it occurred to you that this man – may simply have been admiring your exquisite sense of taste by matching your nail polish cleverly with the subtle colors of your summer dress, and was simply trying to let you know over the sound of the bustling city? No? OK – well had to try.

4-Not giving up the remote control

While this action may come across as domineering and frankly selfish, this act is actually one of selfless desire to please all in the household. Think of it this way. The man in this situation has taken the harsh responsibility of pre-screening all of the channels for the benefit of the entire household. Not only must he stay up late at night to check to make sure that indeed all 50″ of the TV that was just purchase performs up to standard, but his near endless source of tenacity and sticktoitiveness leads him on in shuffling through all 2,000-plus channels just for his family’s benefit. After such an ordeal, why don’t we applaud this man rather than ridicule and wag the finger?

3-Wearing holy undergarments

One word…loyalty. We never abandon those who have been with us in thick and thin and our undies are no exception. Most of us have an unusual, and possibly creepy relationship with our undies. Why ole blue has been with me since college. A little wear and tear won’t cause me to leave him behind – not after all we’ve been through!

2-crotch scratchin’

The fellas must be comfortable at all times…period. There is no pleasure being derived from adjustment. Adjustment is just that…precisly calculated adjustments to ensure said package is at optimum performance and comfort. Anything less would be uncivilized.

1-crotch scratching in public

Did you not read the previous? ALL TIMES…PERIOD! Where there is discomfort there is no shame.

The Fight: “Lights Out” Video Game

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Look! It’s Machete (not to be confused with Danny Trejo) at Club Mighty playing “The Fight:Lights Out” with Sony’s new PlayStation®Move motion controllers and the PlayStation®Eye. It appears no one real suffered any violence, however, the same can’t be said about his pixilated opponents.

Mr. Trejo actually plays a trainer in the game. There are different moves to master including throws, combos, locks, and of course the art of dirty fighting. One thing we want to know – can we have one?